The Panama Papers exposed that there is one rule for the extremely wealthy and another for the rest of us.

While the Government goes on about austerity and living within our means, their friends – the millionaires – look towards tax avoidance, and since this Government has been in power the gap between the rich and the poor has widened.

We are certainly not all in this together.

Since 2010 the Government has set about making things harder for us, bringing in extreme measures and cuts which are the worst ever experienced.

Halton’s grant funding has been reduced by £52m or 50%. This is equivalent to a reduction of £413 for every man, woman and child in the borough and our cuts have been far greater than many more prosperous parts of the country. This is clearly an unfair and vindictive approach by this Government.

As a local authority the challenges we face are immense, but under a Labour administration we have continued to defend people in Halton, especially those most vulnerable, from the worst of these cuts and, wherever possible, make improvements.

We are also working with our Liverpool City Region partners to help one another overcome our shared problems – without losing our identity.

According to Ofsted 87% of our secondary schools are good or outstanding – compared with 84% nationally – and our primary schools did even better with 91% compared to 84% nationally. A great tribute to our young people, teachers and staff.

Health for our residents is also a top priority for us; working with our partners, Halton Clinical Commission, two new Urgent Care Centres are now open in Runcorn and Widnes delivering top quality services. Each centre is run by a team of highly skilled multidisciplinary staff consisting of doctors and nurses, all of whom are experienced at diagnosing and treating minor injuries or illnesses. Diagnostic facilities, like X-ray, are also available at these centres.

Going forward we can now see the new bridge taking shape after many years of campaigning, and this will bring enormous benefits for residents and businesses alike, boosting employment and further developing the borough’s economy.

We will, as ever, continue promoting businesses, protecting vulnerable people in the borough, and endeavour to meet the challenges that this Government keeps throwing at us.

Philip Busow, Runcorn Ukip chairman.

UKIP – Philip Busow

Residents of Halton. Before you vote on May 5 ask yourself a question about the present Labour council.

How do they repay your loyalty for voting them back in year after year?

Let’s look at the facts.

It was Labour who rolled out the PFI scheme leaving the NHS and our education system in debt to the tune of billions of pounds, going to private investors in some cases for the next 40 years.

This will be left to the next generations to pay. This cannot be fair.

Mersey Gateway – Labour alone put the tolls on the new bridge.

George Osborne then made a deal for the residents of Halton.

After paying a registration fee it would be toll-free for non-business users only.

It was local pressure from Halton Against Tolls and with the support of UKIP.

That forced this U-turn, not our so-called councillors who were forbidden to attend any of our public meetings to address our concerns.

Green Bins. Your reward two days after the last year’s local elections, which Labour won convincingly, was that every household was told they would have to pay a fee in future or the service would be withdrawn. How’s that for being loyal?

Of course, all this is to protect fat cat councillors salaries and expenses!

Now we come to the biggest deceit of all by this Labour council. I refer to the back door deal done with the new Liverpool City Regional Authority under the Merseyside devolution deal, basically putting us under the control of Merseyside.

I live in Cheshire, not Merseyside, and I don’t want them controlling my life!

Before you put that cross on the ballot paper please think.

Do not do it just because you have always voted Labour and your parents before you.

It was a different Labour then. Times change and values change

Labour is no different now than the Conservatives.

Vic Turton is standing as an independent candidate in Appleton ward in Widnes.

Independent – Vic Turton

As an independent candidate I feel I can offer the best option with regard to political decisions being made locally here in Appleton, free from the constraints of party policy and manifesto limitations.

A good clean example of these constraints is Europe and the choice between the big two, Labour and the Conservative Party.

Neither of these parties are offering an opinion of ‘No’ on whether we should remain a member of the European Union.

Both side are promoting a ‘Yes’ vote, a vote for being in the European Union.

My personal opinion is to come out with a ‘No’ vote.

But I want to hold a proper debate within Appleton as this vote is easily one of the most important this century and should be discussed.

Both the pros and cons need debating and how its effects relate to the borough for business, families and individuals.

The big parties are not even considering the implications of a ‘No’ vote publicly, which is extremely dangerous.

What plans are in place for a ‘No’ vote? With the push from all but Ukip for a ‘Yes’ vote, I feel what’s being given out so far is lop-sided opinion in favour of being in the European Union.

It needs discussion and starting locally is best. Let’s debate that.

Living in Appleton most of my life I have seen many changes, some for the good, some for bad and some which leave me head scratching, quite frankly.

I wish to be the person who can have a solid, objective view and get information out to the public as soon as possible so that bad ideas are dealt with swiftly.

One last thing before I finish. I want to make clear I’m not in opposition to Labour, Conservatives, Greens, Ukip etc.

I am in opposition to bad ideas and those come in all colours.

I will speak to anyone from any background who needs help, has a good idea which needs implementing, or simply wants a chat.

I still endeavour to drive a more open, direct democratic voice in Halton and for those who know me well, I mean what I say.

My mandate will be created by you.

Have a great day and I hope you ‘Vote Vic’ on May 5.

Colleen Harper, Halton Conservatives chairwoman.

CONSERVATIVE - Colleen Harper

At the General Election in 2015, the Conservative Candidate for the Halton Constituency polled over 17% of the vote.

That excluded the six wards on the council which are part of the Weaver Vale constituency and which include Daresbury.

Daresbury ward is very well represented by John and Marjorie Bradshaw, the only two Conservative councillors, and we trust that voters there will re-elect Marjorie this year.

So, out of the 56 Halton borough councillors, less than 4% are Conservative, which does not reflect the Conservative support in the borough.

Conservatives I have spoken to in Widnes and Runcorn feel that they are not adequately represented.

Not only that, with 52 councillors belonging to the ruling party,

robust challenge to policies and decision-making is very difficult, made worse by the cabinet system in operation.

We have a broad range of candidates standing this year, with men and women, young and old, reflecting different aspects of life.

They are all united in wanting to represent the hard-working taxpayers within the borough while ensuring that those in genuine need are well looked after.

It is only a few years since there were nine Tories on Halton Borough Council, with three each in both Birchfield and Farnworth.

I hope that this election will encourage our supporters to use their vote and help to return to a fairer and healthier representation.

An independent councillor has no party loyalties, just loyalty to the voters who elected them.

Most councillors probably start out with the very best of intentions but soon forget who they represent and simply do what their political party dictates.

We deserve better than party politics, together we can do things differently.

It seems to me that we need to create more involvement for local communities.

We need to think radically about a more inclusive society for all age groups.

No matter what our backgrounds.

We also need to encourage those who don’t normally take part in local democracy to get involved, when so few young people vote it’s easy for councillors to ignore them.

Turning out is the only way to get noticed.

I urge anyone to try to persuade young people that they should take part in the democratic process, because if they don’t they will continue to get overlooked and that’s why young people have paid the price as older people have become better off.

Local referendums – give local communities real decision-making powers on matters that concern them through local referendums.

Reduce the number of councillors – our councillors cannot retain the moral authority to make tough decisions on council spending if they believe they themselves should be immune from the cuts.

Do we really need three councillors per ward?

The money could be spent back in the community for worthy projects.

More parents participation on school governors board – parents can play a significant role in supporting their children’s health and learning, guiding children successfully through the school process and advocating for children and for the effectiveness of schools.

Parent engagement in schools is vital.

Supporting and protecting our local NHS – we need local community members from all ages to take part in protecting our local NHS and show more support and speak out against changes that will later effect them.

Fly tipping, dog fouling, littering – one of the biggest concerns of residents is the number of people who are not cleaning up after their dogs in public areas.

It’s time to ‘pick up or pay up’.

Kieran Reed, pictured here volunteering with Widnes Foodbank, is going to stand as an independent in Ditton ward in the 2016 local elections against Marie Wright.

Independent – Kieran Reed

I am 32, born in Ditton, and live in Halebank.

For the past five years I have been and currently remain a full-time carer for a sick elderly member of my family.

I have to use the services provided and personally experience the problems commonly experienced by many.

Despite being a full-time carer, during respite periods I find time to be involved in local politics to try to bring improvement to these local services and to the environment we all enjoy.

My passion in politics is to be open, honest, realistic and available to constituents.

I am not a ‘yes’ person when dealing with political colleagues and believe in fighting for what I believe in, and the services this ward needs.

In the past, before it’s closure, I worked as a volunteer with the Halebank foodbank.

I have also been a governor at Oakfield Primary School and have also volunteered with Halton Housing Trust’s scrutiny panel.

My past volunteering with HHT has opened doors for me to study a qualification from the Chartered Institute Of Housing, enabling me to better understand housing needs to support local people in this ward.

For enjoyment, I like to spend time with friends and family. I enjoy cycling and going to my local gym. I like to meet new people and enjoy an active social life.

Politically, before resigning in April this year, I had been a member of the Labour Party for over five years, working onto the selection panel for election to office.

Becoming increasingly disillusioned with the lack of progress in the ward, I could no longer sit back and see this ward being forgotten.

Despite protesting in the strongest form, I became increasingly frustrated so decided to resign to become an independent candidate who can speak out without being unfairly silenced for doing the right thing!

Politics, at its best, is an exchange of ideas, where a range of options can be considered on how things should be done.

At the moment the vast majority of councillors belong to the same party, which means the voices of the four opposition councillors is easily drowned out.

The Liberal Democrats believe that Halton needs a bigger, more powerful opposition in order to help keep in check the overbearing political dogma of the controlling Labour group.

When voters do not agree with the policies of the majority party they need a healthy opposition to represent their interests.

The Liberal Democrats believe that the fixed, traditional views of Labour and the Conservatives can be destructive.

We prefer to look at all the options and take a flexible, pragmatic view based on the merits of the argument.

We do not have the same fixed agendas as the other two.

We prefer to take a common sense approach.

Wherever possible the Liberal Democrats use local people as candidates.

We believe that having a connection to the ward helps make a better councillor, one who is more likely to stick up for the people they live with, grew up with and understand the problems within the ward.

The local elections should be about local people and issues.

When you go to vote think about who will best represent your views in the council chamber, particularly when you want to disagree with what the council are doing.